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Tick RemovalEspañol (Spanish)										Related Pages
										Illustration of a smiling tickTick Bite BotA tool to assist people in removing attached ticks and seeking health care, if appropriate, after a tick bite.
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  About the ToolRemoving a tickTesting of ticksIf you find a tick attached to your skin, simply remove the tick as soon as possible. There are several tick removal devices on the market, but a plain set of fine-tipped tweezers works very well.
How to remove a tick
Use clean, fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible.
Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don’t twist or jerk the tick; this can cause the mouth-parts to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, remove the mouth-parts with tweezers. If you cannot remove the mouth easily with tweezers, leave it alone and let the skin heal.
After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.
Never crush a tick with your fingers. Dispose of a live tick by
Putting it in alcohol,
Placing it in a sealed bag/container,
Wrapping it tightly in tape, or
Flushing it down the toilet.clipart style image showing the proper removal of a tick using a pair of tweezers
Follow-up
If you develop a rash or fever within several weeks of removing a tick, see your doctor:
Tell the doctor about your recent tick bite,
When the bite occurred, and
Where you most likely acquired the tick.People who have removed a tick sometimes wonder if they should have it tested for evidence of infection.  Although some commercial groups offer testing, in general this is not recommended because:
Laboratories that conduct tick testing are not required to have the high standards of quality control used by clinical diagnostic laboratories. Results of tick testing should not be used for treatment decisions.
Positive results showing that the tick contains a disease-causing organism do not necessarily mean that you have been infected.
Negative results can lead to false assurance. You may have been unknowingly bitten by a different tick that was infected.
If you have been infected, you will probably develop symptoms before results of the tick test are available. If you do become ill, you should not wait for tick testing results before beginning appropriate treatment.However, you may want to learn to identify various ticks. Different ticks live in different parts of the country and transmit different diseases.clipart image of a tick
Avoid folklore remedies such as “painting” the tick with nail polish or petroleum jelly, or using heat to make the tick detach from the skin. Your goal is to remove the tick as quickly as possible–not waiting for it to detach.Fact Sheet—What to do after a tick bite pdf icon[PDF – 2 pages]
							
					
						Page last reviewed:  May 13, 2022					Content source: 	Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), Division of Vector-Borne Diseases (DVBD) homeTicks HomeAvoiding ticksOn peopleOn petsIn the yardRemoving a tickplus iconTick Bite BotSymptoms of tickborne illnessRegions where ticks liveHow ticks spread diseaseDiseases transmitted by ticksTick bite data trackerTickborne disease continuing educationTickborne Diseases of the United States—reference guideTick surveillanceplus iconBlacklegged tickWestern blacklegged tickAmerican dog tickLone star tickTickborne pathogensData setsReported tickborne disease casesplus iconGeographic DistributionAsian longhorned ticksAlpha-gal syndromeplus iconProducts that may contain alpha-galFor Public Health OfficialsPublications, Training, and Resourcesplus iconAlpha-gal Syndrome FactsheetAlpha-gal Syndrome For Healthcare Providers FactsheetCommunications resourcesplus iconTicks Image GalleryTickborne disease videosplus iconTickborne disease webinars


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